Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Have you seen this type?

I read a lot of posts here that their kids are bored to tears etc and not getting adequate material in school, not challenged, so on.

DD6 (june birthday) tested by RAIS at age 4 and scored 153 and skipped a grade and doing pretty well in her present grade 2.
her reading level is Q (GRL) at end of 1st grade assessment (I suppose grade 4 or so level). Advanced in math and writing aspects as well

But I have never seen her complaining that she is bored. Even now she gets books from library at varying levels ( for instance she got matilda and she got couple of picture books which have just pictures and alphabets this week) She equally enjoys both levels and reads them with same enthusiasm. I bet If we put her in Kindergarten, she will "enjoy". It sometimes make me wonder skipping her a grade is right decision or not

I know there will be several children like this, I just want to share my experience and would like to know others

My youngest rarely complains of boredom either. For her, I think that it is a combo of being such an out of the box thinker that school is never a fit for how she approaches things so she doesn't expect engagement and being a huge extrovert whose focus is on the social aspect of school anyway.

My 8 year old 3rd grader never ever complains that he is bored at school. He prefers lower level books (was testedat a 5th grade level in 1st grade for what it's worth),and is quite happy to do the grade level math work even though he has mastered it. He does go to 4th grade math. His 3rd grade teacher is wonderful at differentiating, but even if she didn't, I think he would be perfectly content. He is wonderfully behaved in school - a model student, from what I hear. Not entirely sure how gifted he is (or even if he is LOL - still got that denial going on) - but I know they're working with him at school, and he is happy, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts

Certain personality types are much more likely to complain than others. Ruf explains this in terms of the Myers-Briggs profile:

"When a gifted Feeling student is assigned tasks that are below the gifted student�s interests or abilities, the Feeler feels insulted and diminished. The difference here is that the Thinker thinks poorly of the teacher, while the Feeler is hurt by the teacher�s lack of awareness or concern for how the student feels and what the student needs."

http://www.educationaloptions.com/resources/resources_rufs_tips.php

Beckee, the comments on the Myers-Briggs profiles were so interesting to me. I do think some kids will just coast along and not be bothered. My child is very outspoken which I find more challenging because I can't ignore things either.

And, then you've got my oldest who is both insulted and thinking poorly of the teacher - lol! She is currently planning witty end of the year gifts for her teachers, most of whom she finds insulting. Her history teacher expects absolute obedience to everything he says including hands folded on desks throughout class, etc. She wants to get him a copy of Milgram's Obedience to Authority with a note about authority figures not deserving absolute obedience without question b/c that has potentially negative consequences.

Similarly, DD also 'outstanding' in grade report on listening to teacher's instruction, 'working in the class'

yannam
the school work and library books might be apples and oranges. I once saw a sign in my local library that said, just because they can read doesn't mean they don't like the pictures. After that I made sure to bring home an assortment of levels. My DS 5 is very advanced in reading and science and still finds some picture books hysterical. Emotionally he is still 5, he likes jokes and stories that appeal to that age even though he often reads much more sophisticated science and chapter books. But I think there is a different with pleasure reading and school work - if she can comprehend concepts at a higher level and work faster she should be exposed to it regardless of whether she enjoys reading at her emotional age, imo.

DeHe

My dd is totally like this - never bored. She is 11 yo and in public school 6th grade -- no grade skips so far. Our most concrete indicator that she has a right to be bored - she received a bronze medal (among a couple thousand (?) participants) from NUMATS for her composite Explore score back when she was a 4th grader. She also maxed out the Lexile scale (score reported as "1700+") in SRI testing as a 5th grader, and had the high score in the district on the math screening test for 6th grade math placement when she was a 4th grader.

The only real complaint she's made about boredom is that she hates it when they make her sit quietly doing nothing while waiting for other students to finish during standardized testing each November.

I think there are several factors. She is cheerful and outgoing and *loves* the fact that she's a kid and school is her thing (not the parents'), and she has also been fortunate with teacher assignments, especially the past couple of years. We also like to think we have instilled in our kids a sense of their own responsibility -- we taught them to self-entertain from an early age (no TV, for example), that there is learning value in almost any situation and that if they are bored it is their own problem -- but I'm not sure we really deserve any credit here.

As a 6th grader just starting middle school, she has several new things to ward off boredom - new friends, open ended research projects, algebra for math, and learning a musical instrument for the first time in band class.

We take it one year at a time and constantly reassess. We are open to skips or changing schools in the future if the situation changes to one that is not working well for her.

I have similar experiences with my DS8 who is in 4th grade (skipped K, PG, maxes out the tests they give him). He complains to us sometimes if he is bored in math. In all other subjects he usually just does what is asked of him - he's a rule follower. This has made it particularly difficult when asking for differentiation, because the teachers expect him to be selecting harder work or demonstrating boredness.

When we quiz him about it, he will eventually admit that he is bored and wishes he were more challenged. We talk to him a lot about challenging himself when the opportunities arise (pick a harder book next time!) and about how his choices can impact my ability to advocate for him to get the harder work he wants.

But, ultimately, we seek a balance: strong work ethic, having fun, being a kid, liking school, having friends, being challenged, learning, building skills, pushing oneself, being obedient, speaking up for yourself, doing one's best, effort over achievement... I am trying to build a whole person here and that development comes from so many different places. That's the thought that helps keep me moving forward, anyway.